Street-railway construction



(No Modem 2 seets-sheet 2.

R. T. WHITE.. STREET RAILWAY GONSTRUGTION.

No. 443,027. Patented Dec.. 16, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

vREYNOLDS 'F.lVIIIrFE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STREET-RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,027', datedDecember 16, 1890. Application led September 30, 1889. Serial No.325,604. (No model.)

.To all wiz-0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, REYNOLDS T. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suiolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Construction ofStreet-Railways, of which the following is a specifica tion.

The object of my invention is to produce a substantial street-railwaytrack that can be easily laid and repaired; and the invention consistsin the peculiar form of the rails and chairs and means of securing therails to the chairs without holes inthe rails, as hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying' drawings, Figures l and 2 representvertical cross-sections of rails embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is avertical cross-section of a rail and an end View of a chair and meansfor securing the rails to the chairs. Fig. t is a side view of a singleor intermediate chair which supports the rail between joints with clampremoved. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a double or joint chair with-clamps removed. Fig. 6 is a plan view of a clamp for a single chair.Fig. 7 is a cross-section of saine, taken on line a: of Fig. G. Fig. 8represents a Vertical cross-section of a center bearing-rail.

A represents the tread of the rail, which may be beveled or rounded onthe outside of the head, as shown at a.

B2 is a paving-block slightly below the head of the rail, and a theflange or wagon-tread of the rail, which maybe made of any desired form.

B B are pendent sides rolled integral with the tread A and iian-ge a.

l) b are projections rolled on the lower outside edges ot the pendentsides B B with their upper edges c c beveled to any suitable angle orcurve.

D are chairs made of iron of suitable sine, composed of standards E,running longitudinally with the rails A and carried up around under thehead of the rail A with a web c between them and brackets e on theiroutside at right angles to standards F., thus making a very substantialchair. A small lug f is formed on the top of the chair D to iit underthe head of the rail above the chair. Upon the standards E near theirupper ends I make an olset, so as to form a seat for the lower edge ofthe rail to rest upon.

F is a boss with its lower edges formed to correspond with projections band angles c c on the lower edges ot' the pendent sides B B of rails A.

G G are clamps, made of the form shown, of suitable size, with theirends formed so as to fit over the upper edges of projection Z7 on thelower edges of the rail and the lower edges of bosses F on the sides ofthe chair.

II is a bolt that passes through the clamps G aud chair'D, so that whenthe bolt I-I is screwed up tight it forces the beveled ends of theclamps G G ont-o the corresponding beveled surfaces on lower edges ofthe boss F on the chair D and the beveled surface c on the lower edgesof the pendent sides B B of the rail A, thus drawing down and holdingthe sides ot' the rail very solidly to the chair.

In Fig. 5 I show two adjacent rails supported on one chair to form aconnectingjoint, space being left between the ends of the rails to allowfor expansion and contraction. This chair is made ot' sufficient lengthto insure a solid bearing for the ends of the rails, and is of the sameform as shown in Fig. 3, with addition of strengthening-ribs h betweenstandards E E, as shown by dotted lines. In Figs. e and 5 the clamps areomitted so as to show the construction of the chair. In single chairsthe clamps would be about the size shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and theclamps for double chairs for securing the ends ofthe rails wouldpreferably be made the length of the chair and with as many bolts asnecessary to hold the ends of the rails secure. The chairs shown aremade to rest upon wooden sleepers, but the base of them may be enlargedso as to be set in concrete or be tamped in the ground. If tamped in theground, bolts Il may be made in the form of tie-rods, so as to keep therails to proper gage. I have shown the chairs made with web c about inthe center of the chair. This web may be dispensed with by carrying thestandards E across the ends of the chairs, as shown in dotted lines inFigs. et and 5, thus making roo the standard of box form and open at thebotv tom and of greater strength and stability than when made with onlythe central web.

Although I have shown the chairs made of cast metal, they may be made ofwrought metal or of wrought and cast metal. The rails maybe made of theside or central bearing type, as shown, or any other form, and forelectric roads, where it is necessary to keep the head of the railsclean to insure perfect traction, I propose to cut off the outsidecorner of the head of 'the rails, as shown, and have the paving B2 comeup to the lower edge of the incline, thus giving carriages but littleobstruction in crossing the tracks and leaving the tread of the railabove the paving,there by decreasing the liability of dirt collecting onthe head of the rails- Some of the advantages of this construction arethat the rails are secured to the chairswithout having bolt-holes in therails. Excavations need not be made so accurately for the sleepers. Agreat saving in handling and laying the rails and a stronger rail isobtained. Rails are easier laid and removed. In fact, this form .ofconstruction overcomes all previous objections to girderfrails, as thepavement on settling cannot drop under the tread and flange of the rail,and this method of fastening holds the rails solidly down on the chairs,as well as holding the sides of the rails close to the sides of thechairs, thereby preventing the rails from working loose, which cannot bedone with fastenin gs that only hold the rails to the chairs one way,and the projections on the lower edges of the pendent sides increase thestrength of the rail.

I disclaim the following combination, namely: a ginder-rail having a topof an approved ksection and .depending web along each edge provided atbottom with laterally-projecting iianges, in combination Ywith a chairhaving a seat portion fitted to the back of said top of the rail andprovided immediately below the lower edges .of the rail-webs with atransverse boltway and with Vlateral projections having faces matchingthose of the rail-flanges, a pair of clamp-plates having -iianges orprojections opposed to said faces and having central boli-holes, and aclamping-bolt passing' through said boltway from side to side,substantially as hereinbefore specified.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. Rails forstreet-railways, having pendent sides without bolt-holes, but having aprojection on each of its sides at or near their lower edges, incombination with chairs iitting between said sides and extending upunder t-he head of the rail and having a seat for the lower edgesof saidpendent sides to rest upon, the rail and chair being secured together byclamps engaging projections on sides of rail and chair by a bolt orbolts passing through the clamps and `chair below the rail,substantially as shown.

A street-ailway track constructed of double girder or channel iron formof rails without bolt-holes, but having suitable fillets on their outersides at or near 4their lower edges, and a metal chair properly ribbedand havinga seat for the lower edge of said pendent sides to rest upon,said rails and chairs being held together by .clamps Vand bolts,substantially as shown.

In the within-described system 0f constructing street-railways, thecombination of rails made with pendent sides with a projection on ornear the lower edges of said pendent sides on their outside, with chairsplaced= at suitable intervals under the rails and litting up close underthe head and iiange vand between the sides of the rail, and having pro.-jections .on their sides which form a seat for said pendent sides torest upon, said lprojections also forming a stop by which a clamp of theform shown engages the projections on the sides of the rails and chairs,whereby the rail and chair are secured together by a bolt or boltspassing through the clampsland chairs bellow the rai-l, substantiallyIas shown and d escribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

REYNOLDS T. W-lllTlil.

Witnesses:

Il. L. iloncnoss, FRANK A. Fist-inn.

